The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Star Wars Galaxy are chock full of juicy villains. Marvel boasts baddies like Thanos, Ultron, Hela, and Kingpin, while Star Wars counters with Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Kylo Ren (among others).
But now let’s dig a little deeper. The villains listed above are the “primary antagonists” of their stories. They are the most significant driving force pushing against our hero. What about the other ones – those who posed their own threats, but they never achieved top billing? Many films in the Marvel and Star Wars franchises also have quite memorable secondary villains – those that work against our hero, though not as the largest or most direct challenge. These characters often work in concert with the primary villain, but sometimes they are just out there presenting their own challenge to the hero.
As a follow up to my article celebrating the Best Secondary Villains in the Disney Universe, I present to you my list of notable secondary villains in the Marvel and Star Wars universes. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Marvel
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has several “other” bad guys on this list, from the despicable to the adorable. Here are a few of the most memorable.
Yondu – Guardians of the Galaxy
Yondu Udonta is the adoptive father of Peter Quill (superhero name: Star Lord) and the leader of an exiled faction of Space Ravagers. Yondu’s relationship with Quill is complicated. He has fond feelings for his adoptive son, but when betrayed by Quill – who is himself a flawed hero of questionable morals – Yondu’s thirst for revenge overcomes his love for Quill. In this mindset, Yondu becomes a secondary obstacle for Quill and his newfound family. Necessity later pairs the two as allies, and Yondu ultimately sacrifices himself to save Quill’s life, and by extension, quite possibly the entire universe). Yondu is my favorite character in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and my second favorite villain in all the MCU, behind…
Loki – Thor
Do you think Yondu is great? Loki says “hold my beer.” Thor’s younger, adopted brother has always felt second fiddle compared to the God of Thunder, and as such he never misses a chance to doublecross the unquestionably handsome Avenger. Loki is played to perfection by Tom Hiddleston, and throughout the Thor franchise, and the MCU as a whole, Loki waffles back and forth, sometimes partnering with his brother in goodwill, but most of the time trying to sabotage his efforts. While Loki is never the primary villain in the Thor franchise, he often serves as a catalyst to amplify the villains’ best efforts. I think some of Loki’s contempt came from doing “Get help” too many times:
Of course, Loki’s story came full circle over the course of two sensational seasons of the Loki series on Disney+. The God of Mischief has become a savior of the sacred timeline, at the expense of a thousand lifetimes of self-imposed imprisonment.
Ravona Renslayer and Miss Minutes – Loki
This dynamic duo falsely earned the trust of Mobius and many other agents of the Time Variance Authority in season one of Loki. It’s only near the end of the season that the duo are found to be working for the ultimate bad-of-all-bads – He Who Remains. Renslayer put up a friendly front until Mobius started putting together the pieces of time which just did not add up. As for Miss Minutes – her harmless looking exterior and adorable southern charm helped her lay low and unassuming until push came to shove. This duo also deserve their place in the pantheon of top henchmen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Grandmaster – Thor: Ragnarok
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… Lord of Thunder. Watch out for his fingers. They make sparks."
Wow, Marvel has some fun villains, and Grandmaster is up there with the best of them. I’ve always been a fan of Jeff Goldblum’s snarky wit, and his significant role in Thor: Ragnarok is a real treat. He may be small potatoes compared to Hela – Thor’s sister and the film’s primary villain. But what Grandmaster lacks in power, he makes up for in spirit. From his targeted quips to his blue colored lips, Grandmaster is one villain who knows how to enjoy himself. If you don’t believe me, check out his party plane, the Commodore (officially known as a “leisure spaceship”). Plus, who else has their own personal 1980s retro birthday song?
Ulysses Klaue – Black Panther and Avengers: Age of Ultron
Andy Serkis is perhaps most well known as an exceptional motion-capture actor, providing pinpointed figure movements that form the basis for some amazing computer generated characters, including memorable villains Supreme Leader Snoke from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Caesar from the Planet of the Apes franchise.
But Serkis is also an excellent actor in his own right, and his turn as Ulysses Klaue in Black Panther (with a preluding smaller appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron) allowed him to showcase his humor and sharp spirit to fans of the MCU. Klaue will not be bested in a battle of wits, as he had King T’Challa in a frustrated fit. Unfortunately, this memorable antagonist met his demise at the hands of the film’s primary villain, Eric Killmonger.
Star Wars
Let’s find a few more second place villains in A Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Boba Fett – The Empire Strikes Back
Sometimes the legend becomes much larger than the character himself, and the legend of Boba Fett has far exceeded his small role in the Star Wars film franchise. Fett is a bounty hunter – a mercenary who works for the next paycheck. Unfortunately for Han Solo, Fett’s paycheck in The Empire Strikes Back came from the bottomless wealth of Darth Vader’s Empire. Some may think of Boba Fett as a henchman character, but the fact that he takes pay as a mercenary for his dirty deeds puts him a grade above the henchman stooge character type.
Fett was successful in delivering the goods to Vader in Empire, but he got payback a couple years later in Return of the Jedi, albeit in one of the weakest freak accident ways at the hands of a temporarily blind Han Solo. Spoiler – he didn’t actually die in the belly of the Sarlacc. He came back to star in his very own (lackluster) series The Book of Boba Fett.
Jabba the Hutt – Return of the Jedi
My favorite vile gangster in the Star Wars galaxy is, without a doubt, Jabba the Hutt. He is not affiliated with the Empire directly. Like Boba Fett, Jabba works for the credits (money in the Star Wars galaxy). The specter of Jabba’s revenge looms over Han Solo through the first two films of the original trilogy, and at the beginning of Return of the Jedi, Jabba has his prize – Han Solo encased in frozen carbonite, displayed for all to see. But Jabba and his collection of smugglers, pirates, and bounty hunters are no match for our small group of Rebel heroes.
Jabba’s part in Return of the Jedi lasted less than thirty minutes, and he proved to be but a warmup to the real battles yet to ensue. Just the same, this half-hour of Star Wars magic is my favorite in the franchise. Due to his popularity with fans, Jabba has been added into the saga’s back story, appearing in The Phantom Menace, The Clone Wars series, and added into a revised version of Star Wars: A New Hope.
General Hux – Sequel Trilogy
If Darth Vader is the face of evil in the original trilogy, and Emperor Palpatine is the overriding villain in the prequel trilogy, then Kylo Ren takes top billing in the sequel trilogy. And then there’s General Hux. He’s that side villain who works against the hero, but also works to a certain degree against the primary villain. Hux and Kylo Ren do not agree on much, and they constantly battle for top status with Supreme Leader Snoke in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. But Kylo Ren has one major advantage – the Force. General Hux really doesn’t stand a chance, and his attempt to sabotage Kylo Ren’s efforts in The Rise of Skywalker ends up costing him his life.
Morgan Elsbeth, Baylan Skoll, and Shin Hati – Ahsoka
For the majority of the Ahsoka series, we follow the race to find Grand Admiral Thrawn in galaxies rarely explored. Morgan Elsbeth leads this quest, and submits to Thrawn’s leadership as soon as she finds him. Along the way, she leads a charge trying to fend off Ahsoka Tano, who is in hot pursuit.
Aiding Morgan in her quest to find Thrawn are Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati. This pair is not necessarily affiliated with the dark side, though they do lean that way. Much like Boba Fett in his previous life, Baylan and Shin work for the almighty credit, assisting Morgan in her pilgrimage. As the eight-episode series progresses, we peek a bit into Baylan’s mind, and find out there is much more to him than being a simple bad guy. Where will Baylan and Shin ultimately fall in the neverending battle of dark vs. light? Only time (and a second season of Ahsoka) will tell.
Secondary Villains with Character
Several of the villains we celebrated above showed real character depth, with conflicting emotions and agendas. This is a tribute to more advanced storytelling in both the Marvel and Star Wars Universes. Did I recognize any of your favorite Marvel or Star Wars villains in this list? Are there any you think I missed? Reach out with a comment or a message on social media, to let me know what you think.
And if you haven’t already – celebrate the Best Secondary Villains in the Disney Universe with this companion piece.
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